


hawks and handsaws

by blackkat



Series: hawks 'verse [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25190545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: “Hide the tea,” Cody calls down the aisle, only partially joking. “Professor Kenobi's coming.”
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jon Antilles/CT-7567 | Rex
Series: hawks 'verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825195
Comments: 24
Kudos: 768





	hawks and handsaws

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: jon gives off the vibes that in a modern au he’d be working remotely in a nature reserve with endangered species and coming back to civilisation twice a year.

“Hide the tea,” Cody calls down the aisle, only partially joking. “Professor Kenobi's coming.”

Rex rolls his eyes, but doesn’t pause in restocking the shelf in front of him. “Sure you don’t want to wrap it up with a bow and give it to him as a courting gift?” he retorts.

Cody huffs, though Rex knows him well enough to see his ears go dull red. “ _You're_ the one who ordered that blend he likes—”

“Because you _made me_ ,” Rex protests, mildly outraged and not about to be the target, _again_ , of Cody's stupid jealousy. Obi-Wan is handsome and funny, but he’s also not Rex's type.

“I did not _make_ you—”

The bell over the door chimes, and Rex breathes a sigh of relief as Cody spins to go out and greet Obi-Wan. That leaves him to do his stocking in peace, and—

“Oh,” Cody says, an odd note in his voice. “Brought a friend, Professor?”

Oh no.

Deciding that he’d better go rescue whatever poor soul Cody has decided is Obi-Wan’s boyfriend _this_ week, Rex rolls his eyes, jots a tally down on the clipboard hanging from his cart, and heads around towards the front of the general store to see who’s unknowingly made themselves the target of Cody's wrath. Last week it was a very pretty Brazilian guest lecturer at the college, and she’s thankfully mostly found Cody amusing. The week _before_ that, it was Professor Unduli, who had laughed—albeit politely—in Cody's face when he implied that she and Obi-Wan were on a date. Rex still isn't sure if Cody was more mortified at her laughter or offended on Obi-Wan’s behalf.

“Ah, yes!” Obi-Wan says enthusiastically. “Cody, I was hoping I could introduce you. This is a very dear friend of mine, Doctor Jon Antilles.”

 _Dear friend_. That means Cody's probably going to pull out the big guns, Rex thinks, resigned, and wonders for the third time this week if he can just find some way to lock Cody and Obi-Wan in a very small space and let them work things out. He sighs, brushing his hands off on his apron, and rounds the corner—

And stops dead, eyes on the figure standing behind Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan looks as perfectly put-together as always, wearing a tweed sweater that makes him look like someone’s overly attractive grandfather, but the man behind him looks…shifty. That’s the best way Rex can think to put it. He’s tall, his dark hair apparently hasn’t encountered a brush is several weeks, and his oversized jacket looks like something that he dug out of the free bin at a clothes giveaway several decades ago and just never gave up on.

He also looks a little like a spooked animal, standing in the middle of the store’s bright lights, but that could also just be the way Cody is staring at him like he’s a threat.

“Morning, Professor,” Rex says, maybe a little more forcefully than he has to. It makes Dr. Antilles twitch sharply and turn, like Rex was sneaking up on him and not just walking normally, and Rex tries not to let his surprise show. He smiles at the man instead, and nods. “Doctor.”

“Jon,” the man says quietly, and shifts subtly to put Obi-Wan between him and Cody. Not that Rex blames him in the least.

“I'm Rex,” he returns, holding out a hand. “You teach at the university?”

“No,” Jon says, and sounds very relieved about that fact. “I'm a researcher.”

“I finally managed to drag him down off the wildlife reserve,” Obi-Wan says, beaming. It makes Jon skitter back a little like a spooked horse. Or maybe that’s Cody's murderous face that’s doing that. “You _do_ have to come down more than once a year, Jon.”

“I do?” Jon asks, skeptical.

Rex snorts, well able to understand the urge to just stay up in the trees. “What animals are you studying?” he asks, and tips his head in invitation. The general store has a small picnic spot off to the side, and it’s empty at the moment. Jon looks like he’s not entirely sure what to do with civilization at the moment, and outdoors is probably a good compromise.

The relief on Jon's face shows his guess was correct, and Jon follows him quickly, leaving Obi-Wan behind without so much as a glance back. “Hawks,” he says, and slips through the door Rex opens for him, a little too quick and quiet for a man his size. Just being outside seems to make his shoulders relax a little, though, and when he casts Rex a small smile, it warms his face.

“Jaig hawks?” Rex asks, and hides his amusement when Jon takes a seat on top one of the picnic tables instead of on the bench, perched like a big dark bird himself.

“You know about them?” Jon sounds slightly surprised, and he looks Rex over with a touch more thoughtfulness.

Rex shrugs. “I was in the army,” he says, and because it’s his store (and Cody's, but Cody is inside making eyes at his beloved professor and doesn’t get to have an opinion) he pulls himself up to sit next to Jon, boots braced on the bench. “Got the Jaig Crest.”

“For extreme bravery,” Jon says quietly, and smiles at him. “Impressive.”

Rex can feel a touch of heat in his cheeks, but he refuses to acknowledge it. “So is studying them. They're endangered, yeah?”

Jon inclines his head. “I've found three new nests this year, though,” he says. “There are chicks that are going to hatch soon.”

Rex grins. “I’d like to see that,” he says. Pauses, but…he wants to ask, and Jon seems open enough. “The hawks give you all those scars?”

“Most of them.” Jon ducks his head, like he’s trying to hide behind his shaggy hair, and looks away.

It’s dumb. It’s dumb and _corny_ , but Rex reaches out, touches his wrist. “I’m glad they’ve got you looking after them, then,” he says, and Jon promptly flushes pink, all the way up to his ears.

“That’s not quite how it works,” he mumbles, and Rex snorts, but—

He doesn’t lift his hand, and Jon doesn’t move his hand away.

“You only come to town once a year?” he asks.

“Obi-Wan exaggerates,” Jon says, pained. Pauses, and then swallows, and says, “More often. Maybe. This store is…a good halfway point. I've never stopped before.”

“Well, consider this your invitation to come in whenever you want,” Rex says, and gives him a smile. “Nice to see a new face around here.”

Jon's flush darkens, and he doesn’t answer, but he jerks his head in a quick nod.

That’s more than enough to make Rex's heartbeat quicken in his chest, and he grins. “How many hawks are up there?” he asks, instead of pushing, and Jon looks _very_ relieved to leave the subject behind.

It’s cute. It probably shouldn’t be. But at least Rex is taking more of an initiative than _Cody_ , so. This probably counts as a resounding success.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] hawks and handsaws](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27611648) by [minnapods (minnabird)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnabird/pseuds/minnapods)




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